


Even The Playing Field

by RAAMIsABeast



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Elemental Magic, Frigga (Marvel) Lives, Heimdall (Marvel) Lives, Loki and Thor Are Not Related, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-04 19:11:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15847566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RAAMIsABeast/pseuds/RAAMIsABeast
Summary: Odin had thrown the knee high beast from the boy with one armoured boot to the flank. The beast made a harsh, breathy shriek as it was thrown across the hall. Its flight through the air was blocked by a golden wall. Blood splattered across the polished floor and wall haphazardly, firing from the animal's teeth and claws.Loki gasped and arose rapidly from the sprawled position he had fallen in, rushing to the reptile's side as it shifted to a human form."Loki...""I've got you. I'm fine. Rest."He stroked regal purple hair as his father stomped over to them."Do you think setting your beast on the others will do you any good, boy?!"Loki glared at the older God in the face of his rage."I thought I would show them how easy it is for their assurance in their strength to be beaten by a force of nature."





	1. The Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> The entire basis of this story?
> 
> AU with Loki having a Dragon. 
> 
> Because dragons are awesome and I have a plan.
> 
> (Who doesn't love plans?)

With a delicately wrapped bundle cradled in his arms, Odin stepped out onto the Bifrost first, leading his men back to the city with all the confidence of a proud King. Each synchronised step echoed and beat the rhythm of their arrival home.

Hearing and seeing the return of the army, a watchman raced to set off the horn to announce the news.

The citizens of Asgard gathered to greet their returning warriors and to reunite with their loved ones. Cheers and festive choruses rang out, only growing in volume and intensity when their King stood upon the steps leading up to his majestic palace and told of the victory against the Jotun King and the capture of the Casket of Ancient Winters.

Tonight the whole of Asgard would celebrate with vigor, and Odin would let them do so. High morale was very much appreciated after a vicious war.

\---

His Queen frowned softly when Odin swept into their chambers with a bundle in his arms, wrapped snuggly in his regal cape as a substitute for a blanket.

"What is that, Odin?"

Frigga quietly asked after greeting him with a chaste kiss. Odin didn't answer at first, checking to see if Thor was asleep. The King gestured to the lavish sofa.

"Please, join me, my Queen. What I have might be a shock."

If Odin was being completely honest with himself, he was surprised that the bundle had yet to make a sound beyond the small coo when he had found it, and covered it with his cape.

Still frowning, the Queen daintily settled next to her husband on the sofa and waited for him to tell her what he had brought from Jotunheim. At that precise moment, the bundle moved and yawned.

"Odin, is that a child?"

Mindful of their own son sleeping, the Goddess didn't raise her voice, even when Odin nodded and moved the cape to reveal not one child, but two.

The more humanoid child had a small dusting of jet black hair atop his head. Below, a pair of beautiful emerald eyes glanced around lazily. Even with the Aesir's fair complexion on the babe, he couldn't be an Aesir child. Odin wouldn't have secreted him into their private quarters otherwise.

Next to the child, a deep purple and black creature stirred. Frigga watched in silent awe as the cat-sized creature tilted its head, nose sliding back to a pair of glistening gold eyes. Beyond those spots of colour, two small black nubs protruded, the start of a pair of _horns._ Following the thin neck down to a slim body, Frigga noticed a front and back pair of legs. One of the front ones crossed over the child's chest protectively as the tiny reptile noticed they weren't covered.

"Odin, a dragonet... You have a Jotun and a dragonet."

"I know. We are unable to give Thor a sibling, and they would have died in Jotunheim."

The tail of the dragonet curling around the child distracted both adults. When it started a soft growl, Frigga gently reached out with her seiðr, easing the little thing before it got too worked up.

Odin shifted the cape to offer it to Frigga and a small, half-grown pair of wings flopped out from the fabric's confines. The frame work for the eventual limbs was already in place. Over the next year, Frigga reckoned, the supple leather-like skin would stretch itself over the bony fingers and many, many smaller scales would weave themselves into a mesh able to withstand the forces of the wind and carry a fully grown Dragon.

Carefully accepting the two younglings, the Queen got a clear look at them both. The boy's hair was longer than she thought, and she had a feeling a good head of luxurious hair would take root and suit him quite well.

His companion dragonet had two small four whiskers on each cheek, though what they would become, Frigga had no idea. They might stay as whiskers. Or they might become something different. Along its back ran a straight line of bumps, starting between the budding horns and finishing mid way along the tail. Spines, possibly.

The dragonet yawned and bared its needle-like teeth to the world. The baby beside the reptile smiled and put a hand in the closest shoulder, waving in a poorly coordinated stroking action.

Frigga smiled.

"I think Thor will like them."

For the rest of the time spent awake, Frigga fed and cleaned the two while Odin kept insisting on calling the dragonet Fenfir. Each time, Frigga shot it down with another name, until they both agreed on Khyrem for a now sexed male dragonet. For the boy, Loki was chosen.

\---

The next morning, Thor awoke to his father grumbling and the sound of a... baby? There was a baby here?

Confused, Thor stumbled into some clothes before leaving his room to see what was going on.

In the living area, his parents were doing two totally different things. His mother was holding some lizard thing, letting it explore the small tub of water she was sat next to. On the other side of the room, his father and a servant worked to acquire suitable clothing for the _baby_ in his arm. Why was there a baby?

"Mother?"

Thor asked, moving over to said woman. Her warm smile eased his confusion a little.

"Good morning, Thor. I see you have come to see what has your father mumbling."

Thor nodded. His mother chuckled.

"This is Khyrem. He's a baby Dragon. And the baby your father's holding is Loki, your little brother. So, you have to promise to protect him, yes?"

"Of course, mother!"

Frigga ruffled his hair and then urged him to go and see his baby brother, pleased at the smooth introduction. It could have gone differently.


	2. Plans

Eight years on from Loki's arrival, both the boys and the dragonet were inseparable. Thor and Loki encouraged each other to cause mischief, as children do, and the dragonet was often their distraction to do so. Khyrem had grown, being about knee high on Odin as a Dragon and smaller than Thor as a human, or as human as he could become.

Bright gold eyes stared from a pale lilac face watching the brothers from where the currently human reptile was laid in a tree. Dark purple, almost black, claws poked into the branch to stabilise him, a thick, strong tail acting as an anchor. In this form, he lacked the growing spokes and horns, but his tail alone could hold him should he slip.

"Khyrem, come join us? I want to show Thor your neck markings."

Khyrem purred, content where he was. However, he was never one to miss an chance to squeeze between the two and absorb their heat. Sliding to the side, Khyrem let himself fall, spreading out fully formed wings to glide down and settle in front of them. He was unable to use his wings for power flight just yet, too small to have gained the muscle mass around his wing joints. But he could glide, and could turn and dive with ease.

Shuffling forward to sit on one leg from each brother, the dragon smiled, closed his eyes and purred. Loki chuckled at his antics, leaning forward to stroke long, soft purple hair, darker than his skin but not the deepness of his scales.

"Tilt your head, good boy."

Shifting some hair out of the way, Loki pointed out three zig-zag markings just behind the jawline of the dragon, just behind where his fins would be.

"I thought they were some sort of scar, but feel them."

Thor stroked them, frowning at the texture. They definately didn't feel like scars. They felt more like the soft skin between Khyrem's Dragon digits. Khyrem pushed his neck further into Thor's hand, obviously enjoying the stroke on the scars.

"They don't feel like scars."

Loki gave him a look as if to say "well done for pointing out the obvious", but he was distracted as Khyrem stretched his wings and body, slinking in a curve and letting out a satisfied groan.

"Do we have any plans today, princes?"

The dragon settled across both their laps in his Dragon form after speaking, waiting for an answer and to follow them.

"Father wants us to watch him leave for Vanaheim soon. Other than that, Thor has his sparring and I have a seiðr lesson."

Thor suddenly got a bright idea.

"Could I borrow Khyrem for sparring today? I want to test something with him."

"Why not? I'll come along to see what _bright_ _idea_ the Mighty Thor has come up with this time."

Thor laughed. His brother never ceased to amuse him when it came to sparring. Loki had yet to fill out like Thor was, prefering seiðr and throwing knives to swords and strength. Even as young as he was, many Asgardians could tell he would become a sly master of magic and lack the strength of an honourable warrior.

Thor himself didn't really care about their opinions on the matter. Secretly, he wanted Loki to stay slight forever so Thor could fulfil his promise to protect him, always.

Now that Thor thought about it, Khyrem was like Loki, lean and flexible, even though his tutors had spoken of the human forms of dragons being similar to the Aesir. But what Khyrem lacked in muscles, he made up for in natural strength. Being a Dragon had it's perks, apparently.

In the distance, a horn bellowed.

"Race you to the Bifrost, Loki!"

Thor threw himself into a run, glancing behind him at Loki's laugh to see him chasing after him, Khyrem racing past them both on his four legs.

\---

Odin clasped both of his sons on the shoulder before he stood up from his crouch, swinging up onto the back of his steed.

"Bye, father."

Both boys said in union as Odin's ride turned to lead some advisors through the Bifrost. Heimdall clicked the gateway closed once everyone was through, halting the myriad of colours. A sudden weight in his shoulder had him turning his head to see a violet head facing him.

Khyrem. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Heimdall couldn't always see the Dragon, and so he was the only person to ever sneak up on the Gatekeeper.

He could almost see the shimmering soul of the Dragon through its eyes, as golden as they were. And then the moment was over, Loki calling his loyal companion to him and Khyrem gliding to settle across his shoulders, purring and nuzzling the younger Prince.

\---

Thor was about to take a drink of his water that evening, sat next to his mother, when the water turned to ice and stuck to the mini-goblet. Beside him, Loki giggled, and why became apparent when Thor pulled the ice from the container by his _tongue._ It was stuck to his tongue.

"Lokiiii... Pleash..."

Loki laughed some more before returning the water to its original state, smiling innocently at his mother when she glanced an amused look over at her sons. Khyrem was on her lap, whimpering softly as she smoothed down his scales and stitched up a small but long bite along his side. He was in great shape, just shaken by the afternoon.

At least all three were okay. It could have been much worse.


End file.
